Maresca could get a defensive bargainMaresca could get a defensive bargain
Maresca could get a defensive bargain | Getty Images
Chelsea find themselves battling with several teams for a top four spot in the Premier League this season.
Chelsea are one of several teams this season that are aiming to land a Champions League place in the Premier League.
They currently sit fourth with just nine games to go, and hope to secure a top-four spot in order to guarantee their qualification for the Champions League.
Enzo Maresca’s side are five points behind Nottingham Forest in third, and face competition with the likes of Man City, Newcastle, Brighton, Fulham and Aston Villa to finish in fourth.
City are behind Chelsea as things stand, with just one point separating Maresca with his former colleague Pep Guardiola.
How many points do Chelsea need to finish above City, Newcastle and Villa?
As the Premier League season draws to a close, the Opta has predicted what the table will look like come the end of the season forecasting how many points Chelsea will need to secure a Champions League spot next year.
It predicts that behind Liverpool and Arsenal, Nottingham Forest will finish third on 68 points, 14 more than their current tally of 54. It gives them a 72% chance of finishing in a top-four place.
Behind them, it predicts that Man City will finish fourth on 66 points, 18 more than they currently have. The prediction gives Guardiola’s side a 57% chance of claiming a Champions League place next season, after what has been a disappointing year for City.
Newcastle are predicted to finish fifth on 64 points. Eddie Howe’s side went into the international break on a high as they won the Carabao Cup against Liverpool at Wembley to claim their first trophy in 70 years.
After that, Chelsea are predicted to finish sixth, dropping two places from their current position in the Premier League. It says that the Blues will finish on 63 points, one behind Newcastle and just three away from a top-four spot and Man City. It gives Chelsea a 26% chance of claiming a Champions League place.
Below Chelsea, Brighton are predicted to finish seventh on 61 points, and Aston Villa are predicted eighth on 58 points, giving them just a 2.8% chance of returning to the Champions League next season.
With City predicted to finish on 66 points, it means Chelsea would need 67 to finish in the top four. That means that they need 18 points from their remaining nine games in the Premier League.
They come back from the international break to face Tottenham at Stamford Bridge on Thursday 3 April, before then heading to Brentford on Sunday 6 April. The Blues still have to play the likes of Liverpool, Newcastle and Nottingham Forest, so it could be a tough task.
Chelsea’s final nine games compared to rivals
Chelsea: Spurs (H), Brentford (A), Ipswich (H), Fulham (A), Everton (H), Liverpool (H), Newcastle (A), Man Utd (H), Nottingham Forest (A).
Man City: Leicester City (H), Man Utd (A), Crystal Palace (H), Everton (A), Aston Villa (H), Wolves (H) Southampton (A), Bournemouth (H), Fulham (A).
Nottingham Forest: Man Utd (H), Aston Villa (A), Everton (H), Tottenham (A), Brentford (H), Crystal Palace (A), Leicester (H), West Ham (A), Chelsea (H).
Newcastle: Brentford (H), Leicester City, (A), Man Utd (H), Crystal Palace (H), Aston Villa (A), Ipswich Town (H), Brighton & Hove Albion (A), Chelsea (H), Arsenal, (A) Everton (H).
Brighton: Aston Villa (H), Crystal Palace (A). Leicester City (H). Brentford (A). West Ham United (H), Newcastle United (H), Wolves (A), Liverpool (H), Tottenham Hotspur (A).
Aston Villa: Brighton (A), Nottingham Forest (H), Southampton (A), Newcastle United (H), Man City (A), Fulham (H), Bournemouth (A), Tottenham Hotspur (H), Man Utd (A).
Bournemouth: Ipswich (H), West Ham (A), Fulham (H), Crystal Palace (A), Man Utd (H), Arsenal (A), Aston Villa (H), Fulham (A), and Leicester (H).
Fulham: Arsenal (A), Liverpool (H), Bournemouth (A), Bournemouth (A), Chelsea (H), Southampton (A), Aston Villa (A), Everton (H), Brentford (A), and Manchester City (H).
In other news, an injury update has been provided on Chelsea star Cole Palmer ahead of their game against Spurs.